Greetings from Hot Springs. Last full day in Arkansas; weather due to be better than yesterday! Thank you to all readers and reviewers.

So, last time, Milady was eavesdropping on the boys. What will she do now?

CHAPTER 14

"Tréville ought to make sure that his two Musketeers and d'Artagnan remain in Paris. They are reckless enough to jeopardise the mission," Milady de Winter suggested as she slowly made her way around behind the chair Richelieu was occupying at his desk. Knowing that he had turned to watch her progress, she trailed her fingers over the intricately carved surface of the cabinet against the wall.

"And you certainly would not want to jeopardise the mission, would you, my dear?" Richelieu queried.

The question was conversational, but her green eyes narrowed with suspicion. Richelieu was not one to waste his breath in unnecessary comment. Almost as quickly, she flashed him a beatific smile as she rounded his desk and stood before him once more.

"Of course not. I am, as ever, loyal to you and France. We need to determine what the nobles are plotting. I am still a little disappointed that you did not allow me to return to Troyes to find out further information. I am sure that I can be as effective in gaining information as any Musketeer."

"I have no doubt, but I wanted a man at that meeting. A woman would not be admitted and whilst you would use every one of your feminine wiles to extract information at other times, you would be missing much of what was said and by whom."

"There is no guarantee that Athos will be present," she said pointedly. Was there a hint of resentment in her tone?

"No but I believe that he does stand a better opportunity. After all," and here he looked directly at her, "he does have a decidedly noble air about him, don't you think?"

He was goading her deliberately. During the debacle with the Spanish Treaty a few months earlier, he had become curious as to the past behind the woman he employed as an agent and assassin and the enigmatic Musketeer. Convinced that they shared a history, he had initiated further investigations and discovered that they had been married and were none other than the Comte and Comtesse de la Fère.

The intense love story – the talk of the area at the time - had come to an abrupt end when she murdered the Comte's younger brother for reasons best known to herself. As upholder of the law in the area, Olivier d'Athos had been duty-bound to mete out the punishment. For murder, it was simple. The death penalty was the only choice and, consequently, she had been sentenced to hang.

From that moment, the young Comte had disappeared, abandoning his estate and a family name that had existed for generations whilst, somehow, she had survived the hangman's noose.

So, it transpired that the former nobleman had reappeared in Paris and won his commission in the King's Musketeers as Athos, whose past still had such a hold over him that he had developed a reputation for drinking to extremes – presumably he wanted to forget. For Richelieu, that was a sign of weakness and he could not understand why Tréville had promoted him to the rank of lieutenant.

Richelieu was convinced, though, that Athos remained oblivious to his wife's survival and yet she knew of his new life. The First Minister was always on the search for information that he could use against someone and he kept his knowledge close, awaiting the right time to make his revelation. He wondered how much Tréville knew of his man's real identity; perhaps it was something that he could use to his advantage against the Captain. There had been enjoyment in his insistence that the young Lieutenant be tasked with such an important mission because he carried himself 'like a noble'.

Milady had been vague in her answers when Richelieu wanted to know why she had nominated Athos to be framed as a thief and murderer in order to bring the Musketeer regiment into disrepute. He did not need her to tell him, of course, but it was interesting to see her evasiveness. She wanted revenge.

That was the real reason why the Cardinal had not allowed her to return to Troyes. He did not trust her enough to allow Athos to complete his mission; he suspected that her desire for vengeance would supersede any loyalty she claimed for the crown. It would be so easy for her to betray him as a Musketeer to any of the contacts she had already made in that region; to let someone else do her work in eradicating him.

Richelieu agreed with Tréville in that his lieutenant faced enough danger; there was every possibility that he would be recognised as the errant comte, so he actually wanted to help limit the risks, even if that meant keeping Milady in Paris. Besides, she had furnished him with news that gave him the idea on how to keep her occupied.

She was good, very good though and did not give any visible reaction to his question. "I suppose if you compare him with some of the other unkempt, dirty individuals that pass as Musketeers, he does appear more of a noble," she commented lightly.

"Don't you know, m'dear, that many of the Musketeer rank are the sons of nobles," Richelieu corrected.

"Hmm, that's what they would have you believe. But there are plenty more who are not. Look at Athos' closest friends for a start. Even d'Artagnan, who harbours hopes of joining the regiment, is only the son of a gentleman farmer."

"I also think Captain Tréville would object to your description of 'unkempt' and 'dirty'. He prides himself on how they look when they are on duty at the palace."

"Oh I admit that they look the part when at the palace," she eyed the Cardinal warily. "I mean, they are smarter than your Red Guard when they're on royal duty, but they're not always at the palace, are they?"

Richelieu gave a wry smile that failed to reach his eyes and ignored her provocative comment about his own regiment.

"I have a new task for you, my dear." He waited until he knew that he had her full attention. "Keep an eye on Porthos and Aramis. I would not put it past them to defy orders and pursue Athos. They have to remain in Paris. I am sure that you can manage. It would give you the opportunity to renew your friendship with the Gascon.

"You try to persuade me that he would be of service to me and he has not gained his commission in the Musketeers yet but the longer he remains with Tréville's Invincibles, the more likely he is to join forces with them, permanently. You must not allow that to happen."